| The Real Housewives of Orange County | |
| Season 5 | |
 | |
| Starring | Vicki Gunvalson Jeana Keough Tamra Judge Gretchen Rossi Lynne Curtin Alexis Bellino |
| Country of Origin | United States |
| Episodes | 17 |
| Release | |
| Network | Bravo |
| Originally Aired | November 5, 2009–March 11, 2010 |
| Season Chronology | |
| Previous | Season 4 |
| Next | Season 6 |
The fifth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, aired from November 5, 2009, until March 11, 2010, and continued to star: Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough, Tamra Judge, Gretchen Rossi and Lynne Curtin, while also introducing new housewife, in place of Keough who departs the show in this season’s third episode, Alexis Bellino.
Cast[]
Five of the six housewives featured on the fourth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County initially returned for the fifth installment. With Peterson's departure midway during season four, it only left five remaining ‘wives. Original housewife, Jeana Keough, decide to depart from the series on the third episode, "It Ends in Coto de Caza", that aired on November 19, 2009. Keough reportedly left the series due to being undervalued saying "I just didn’t feel appreciated by the girls or the network." After the departure of Keough, it made Vicki Gunvalson the only remaining original cast member as of the sixth season. A new housewife was featured on the series to fill Keough's place, Alexis Bellino, who is described as a "spicy blonde who unabashedly lives life on her terms." Bellino made her debut to the series on the second episode of the season, and was officially made a full-time cast member in the fourth episode, "It's All About Choices"; the episode after Keough's departure.
Synopsis[]
Gretchen Rossi begins dating after Jeff's death, but still remains in contact with his adult kids. Rossi's new boyfriend leaves the ladies talking due to it being Slade Smiley, a former boyfriend of two previous wives, Jo De La Rosa and Lauri Peterson. Away from the feuding and gossip, Rossi debuts her beauty line, Gretchen Christine Beaute. Rossi and Barney frequently clash despite an attempted reconciliation. Barney struggles with her husband's dominance and control as the kids begin to witness the tension between the two. Despite attempts to fix the marriage, such as getting a tattoo of her husband's name, Barney later asks for a divorce. Barney and Keough, along with their husbands, suffer from financial difficulties caused by the collapsing economy. After struggling with the collapsing economy, Keough's business is greatly affected. Keough pulls back from the fellow ‘wives to focus on her business. Barney also needing to make more money, jumps back into the real estate game. Lynne Curtin continues her endeavors with her jewelry line. Curtin struggles with being in the middle of Rossi and Barney's drama seeing as she and Barney have grown a lot closer. As she grows closer to Barney, a divide begins to form between her and Rossi as she feels Rossi has overstepped her boundaries with her daughter. It's all new for Curtin as she settles into her new home in Laguna Beach and gets a face-lift, however, Lynne continues to struggle with disciplining her daughters. Curtin's happiness doesn't last long as she receives an eviction notice, which leaves her questing her trust in her husband. Gunvalson continues to balance her professional career and her personal life. Gunvalson attempts to repair her relationship with her husband, Donn, they renew their vows. Bellino and her husband, Jim, raises their toddler-aged twin girls, Melania and Mackenna, and their son, James, with the same Christian values they both hold dear. The other ladies question Bellino's' marriage and just how reliant she is on her husband, which leaves Bellino and Gunvalson feuding and drives Gunvalson to seek support from, now former wife, Keough.
Taglines[]
Vicki: "I love my family, I love my work, I love my life."
Jeana: "Money is a girl’s best friend and I love friends."
Gretchen: "I am smart, I am sexy, and I am confident, of course people are going to talk about me."
Alexis: "Am I high maintenance? Of course I am, look at me."
Lynne: "It’s not about how much money you have, it’s about how good you look spending it."
Tamra: "Housewives come younger, but they don’t come hotter."
Lynne: "I am just your typical Orange County Housewife - I am obsessed with being young!."
Reunion[]
| Sofa 1 | Host | Sofa 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vicki Gunvalson | Tamra Judge | Andy Cohen | Alexis Bellino | Gretchen Rossi | Lynne Curtin |
Episodes[]
| Episode Overall | Episode Number | Title | Original Air Date | Ratings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 1 | "When Times Get Tough, The Tough Go Shopping!" | November 5, 2009 | N/A | ||
| Everyone is on edge as the ladies come together to support Lynne's private jewelry show. Though both Tamra and Gretchen vow to get along, it doesn't take long for the name-calling and insult-hurling to get underway. | ||||||
| 47 | 2 | "Friends, Enemies and Husbands" | November 12, 2009 | N/A | ||
| Lynne's showing comes to a halt. A fight between Tamra and Gretchen forces the women to choose sides. | ||||||
| 48 | 3 | "It Ends in Coto de Caza" | November 19, 2009 | N/A | ||
| Jeana makes the gut-wrenching decision to pull back from spending so much time with the Housewives in order to concentrate more on her real estate business, which is struggling in a sagging economy. Alexis Bellino joins the cast of the Housewives. | ||||||
| 49 | 4 | "It’s All About Choices" | December 3, 2009 | N/A | ||
| Briana recovers from her breakup. Simon and Tamra attend a barbecue at the Gunvalsons'. Gretchen flies to Michigan. Lynne settles into her new home. | ||||||
| 50 | 5 | "Friends, Facelifts and Florida" | December 10, 2009 | N/A | ||
| Vicki schemes to surprise Donn for their anniversary. Alexis brings the twins for a mani/pedi. Lynne undergoes a face-lift. Tamra shows her first house in several years. | ||||||
| 51 | 6 | "All Girls Weekend" | December 17, 2009 | N/A | ||
| Vicki invites the housewives to a weekend in Florida, but there is tension when Alexis and Tamra invite Jim and Simon. Slade surprises Gretchen by arriving, causing Vicki to alienate herself from the group. | ||||||
| 52 | 7 | "Love and War" | January 7, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Vicki has a romantic surprise for Donn. Alexis prepares her children for church. Tamra considers letting Gretchen into her life. Lynne allows Gretchen to take Alexa shopping. | ||||||
| 53 | 8 | "Let Bygones, Be Bygones" | January 14, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Lynne confronts Gretchen about overstepping her boundaries with Alexa. Vicki invites all of the housewives to a "girls only" slumber party at her house. Vicki invites a psychic to do readings, and Tamra seeks guidance on her relationship with Ryan. The housewives decide to toilet paper Jeana's house. | ||||||
| 54 | 9 | "No Boundaries" | January 21, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Alexis and Tamra grow closer. Gretchen and Slade go to the races with Alexis and Jim. One of Gretchen's friends flirts with Alexis' husband, Jim. Lynne and Frank have trouble with Alexa going out too much. | ||||||
| 55 | 10 | "I Can’t Stop" | January 28, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Marriage woes impact the Barneys and their children. Meanwhile, Gretchen anticipates the premiere of her makeup line. Lynne seeks advice from her mother about her daughters, and Alexis decides to host a cooking party where Gretchen criticizes Lynne's parenting, causing Lynne to break. | ||||||
| 56 | 11 | "Nothing Is As It Seems" | February 4, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Tamra gets Simon's name tattooed on her finger. Alexis and Jim go on a mini-getaway. Lynne hosts a dinner party where Vicki finds herself Simon's target. | ||||||
| 57 | 12 | "You Can Dish It, But You Can’t Take It" | February 11, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Lynne receives an eviction notice. Vicki gets bad news about her daughter's health. Alexis and Gretchen meet for dinner. The girls go on a weekend getaway to San Francisco. | ||||||
| 58 | 13 | "Let’s Bow Our Heads and Pray" | February 18, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Lynne and her family deal with eviction drama, Gretchen and Slade have a weekend getaway with her parents. | ||||||
| 59 | 14 | "This Is How We Do It In The O.C." | February 25, 2010 | N/A | ||
| Vicki reunites with Jeana, Alexis takes her Midwest mom to the plastic surgeon, Lynne and Frank discuss their marriage, and Tamra celebrates her birthday. | ||||||
| 60 | 15 | "Is This All There Is?" | March 4, 2010 | N/A | ||
| The housewives prepare to attend the season finale party. Vicki, still hurt by the San Francisco trip, vows to stay clear of drama. Gretchen and Slade color-coordinate outfits, looking (according to Vicki) like the plastic toppers on a wedding cake. Lynne’s daughters arrive at the party obviously under the influence, and Lynn excuses herself for not knowing, stating that the limo was big, and she didn't know what her daughters were up to. Tamra and Simon have a heated argument in the limo on the way to the party, with Tamra stating that she wants a divorce. The show ends with a recap of each housewife as is the tradition, and the last summary is that Tamra and Simon are divorcing. | ||||||
| 61 | 16 | "Reunion Special: Part One" | March 10, 2010 | N/A | ||
| The O.C. housewives come together with Andy Cohen, to discuss the past events that occurred during season five. | ||||||
| 62 | 17 | "Reunion Special: Part Two" | March 11, 2010 | N/A | ||
| In the conclusion of a reunion episode, the reconvened Orange County wives recall the good, bad, and ugly of season five. | ||||||
Trivia[]
- This is the last season to feature Lynne Curtin as a ‘Main Housewife’.